House With Voids takes shape as a carefully balanced composition between a new volume and an existing stone cottage, with clearly defined architectural scale, proportion, and relationship to the terrain. The house sits along the coastal strip in the rural area of Rukavac. The plot borders the main road and side streets and neighbouring houses surround it on all sides, which significantly limits privacy. Since all surrounding houses look directly onto this project, the design focuses on achieving greater privacy through strategic placement of volumes and controlled openings.

A Compact Cube, Slightly Elevated

The main house takes shape as a compact cube measuring 8 × 8 × 8 metres, slightly elevated from the existing terrain. A centrally positioned staircase organises the floor plan symmetrically and rationally, connecting all levels into a clear, flowing whole. The extended basement provides functionally equivalent rooms and a technically logical vertical circulation, which emphasises the clarity of the structure. The ground floor balances circulation and private spaces, while the upper floor prioritises expansive terraces over interior living areas.

Terraces and Staircases in Dynamic Interplay

The most striking feature of the project lies in the dynamic interplay between terraces and staircases, thoughtfully positioned to frame the rich views through carefully designed openings. Together, they create a sense of intimacy and controlled sightlines. A semi-cut staircase adds special spatial quality, since its sculptural presence exceeds its purely functional role, connecting the more private, sheltered terrace with a fully open terrace that faces uninterrupted views of the Vis archipelago and the sea.

A Façade of Precisely Aligned Openings

The façade composition follows from precise alignment of the openings’ proportions, where controlled variation ensures each opening plays a distinct role and frames selected viewpoints. Particular attention falls on the “trace,” a polished concrete terrace and parking area that extends diagonally across the plot, linking the house with the existing stone cottage. This architectural gesture both respects the memory of the place and creates a new spatial logic. The gap between volumes becomes a transitional space, with an integrated staircase that follows the natural slope.

The Stone Cottage as a Summer Space

The architects redefined the existing stone cottage as a separate summer space, featuring an integrated concrete fireplace as a sculptural element at the end of the extended terrace. The concrete crown unifies the heights of the stone walls and reinforces the structure, so it creates a distinctive fusion of tradition and contemporary design.

An Architecture of Calm Luxury

The project rests on carefully considered compromises, which result in an architecture of calm luxury, measured, functional, and aesthetically clear, whose true value reveals itself gradually.